A life so changed
by myra-5
Summary: There seems to be some confusion about this story. It's a present time story which has nothing to do with the movie but which contains Jack and Rose
1. Default Chapter

Through the little window of her trailer Rose DeWitt Bukater, a beginning Hollywood actress, could see little rivers of water pour down. The sound of the waves of the Atlantic battering onto the rocky coast worsened the feeling of loneliness that had surrounded her for the last couple of days.  
  
She was tired and all she wanted was a little bit of undisturbed sleep. Every bone in her seventeen year old body ached and needed peace. For two months now she had been working for fifteen hours straight. The cold hands of solitude grabbed her by her throat and throttled Rose. Through her window a flash of light appeared and a fierce crack disrupted her somber thoughts.  
  
It was a breathtaking sight to see the line of fire vanish into the depths of the Breton ocean. The hit produced a frightful sound that made her flesh creep. She felt so diminutive and powerless and she wanted to cry, for the first time in her life. A hard knock on the trailer's door startled her and she was afraid to open.  
  
"Open up, Rose. It's me!" a harsh voice reverberated.  
  
She quickly opened the door and a sopping man entered with heavy steps. He immediately took of his coat and nestled himself in front of the trailer's heating. Impressed by the discourteous behavior of the man she closed the door and sat down on a chair.  
  
"Aren't you going to give me something to drink?" the man asked austere.  
  
His dark hair hung lifeless around his face and little drops rolled down his chin onto the little red carpet. All Rose did was stare at the man who started to lose his temper.  
  
"I'm not going to ask you twice, Rose."  
  
Out his tone Rose could understand that he had been drinking.  
  
"I think you had enough already." she answered undaunted.  
  
Suddenly a fire ignited in his eyes as the man stood up and drove Rose into a corner of the trailer.  
  
"What did you say?" he asked harsh.  
  
"Nothing." Rose's voice sounded scared.  
  
Suddenly a warm tingle on her cheek followed another one. She could taste the warm, sweet taste of blood in her mouth while another punch hit her stomach. She felt so powerless as one stroke followed another. All at once the man lifted her of her feet and threw her onto the table.  
  
Rose hit her head on the edge and suddenly everything seemed foggy. A heavy weight forced itself on top of her while the beating continued. For a few seconds everything went blank and she must have lost consciousness.  
  
When she opened her eyes again a horrible pain shot through her body as if someone had stabbed her in the side with a knife. Tears pricked in her eyes but she refused to release them. A puddle of red formed on her jeans and her side felt numb.  
  
She tried to wring herself away from the grip of the man but he only pushed her closer and started to hit Rose on the head. Everything turned black again but this time she wouldn't give in. She kicked the man hard in his stomach and rolled from under his grasp. A painful shriek filled the room for a second and gave Rose the time to reach to the door. Her hip tortured her and every move hurt like crazy. Her hand clenched the latch while she felt a hard object hit the back of her head and nearly blacked her out. Little potsherds were spread around the floor and the man held the remains of the Chinese vase in his hands.  
  
Rose staggered towards the little kitchen sink, her head spinning and her mind cloudy. Suddenly she felt another bang on the head and she stumbled onto the floor. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder as she saw a potsherd lodged in her flesh.  
  
In a reflex she pulled it out and clutched it in her hand while little drops of blood trickled onto the floor. She tried to stand up but a sting in her stomach threw her back on the ground. The man grabbed his knife back out of his pocket and stared at Rose daring. Rose's heart skipped a couple of beats as she knew what was coming. The man still looked at her in a mixture of pity, hate and disgust.  
  
The knife conjured scary contours on the wall and Rose's breathing stopped for a few seconds. The man took a few steps closer and said: "I'm sorry you have to end like this, we could have been good together."  
  
He held the knife high above his head and for a moment the world stopped turning. Out of nowhere Rose found the strength to stand up and to plant the potsherd into the ribs of her assailant. A loud scream filled the air for a moment and then the man fell down on the floor, in the middle of the potsherds.  
  
Rose started to puke as she saw the man lying on the floor in a puddle of blood and with a potsherd stuck in his ribs. Out his mouth a little stream of red floated down onto the carpet. The sour smell of death hovered in the trailer. Rose trembled unstoppable and she couldn't breathe. She grabbed the latch and ran away. The thunderstorm was still breaking up the sky and so everyone was nice and cozy in their trailer. A flash of light cracked the heavens and lighted her way. The rain felt like little needles pricking her skin and freezing her all over. She started to cry out of despair or out of pain, she didn't have a clue. Her side felt numb, she could still taste blood in her mind and her shoulder hurt like hell.  
  
The vigorous waves broke on the pungent rocks of the shore and the sound calmed her senses. The little lane she was following brought her to the ruins an old German bunker, covered with moss and ivy-grown. It didn't seem too much but it was a place to shelter while the storm raged. 


	2. Chapter Two

Rose silently made her way through the nettles which seemed to burn her legs.  
  
Once inside she saw the figures of flames on the wall and she could hear light footsteps.  
  
While Rose tried to get out again, she heard the footsteps coming in her direction.  
  
"Ne partez pas." the voice asked friendly.  
  
In front of her stood a man around twenty with blonde hair and a pair of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.  
  
Rose could tell by the man's accent that he wasn't French but English or American.  
  
"I won't." she said blushing.  
  
"I'm Jack Dawson." the man said with a smile that melt her heart immediately.  
  
"Rose DeWitt Bukater."  
  
"I may have to get you to write that one down."  
  
They both laughed softly.  
  
For a moment a pleasant silence hung in the air and they took the time to take the other in.  
  
Jack knew that he was staring but he couldn't help it.  
  
He had never seen anyone this beautiful in his whole life.  
  
It finally caught his eye that Rose was shivering all over and he took her closer to the fire.  
  
Rose tried to sit as close as she could but the warm flames didn't offer her any heat at all.  
  
Jack stood up and went into another corner of the small room and pulled out a blanket from his brown sack.  
  
"That'll help." he said as he rapped it around her shoulders.  
  
"Thanks." Rose answered in a soft tone.  
  
She didn't know how to behave and although she could see the man had no bad intentions, she kept her guard up.  
  
Rose felt Jack's burning gaze on her and felt uncomfortable for the first time since she'd been here.  
  
Jack took her in again, only now he took the time to discover the little details.  
  
Her wet fired hair that hung playful around her head, the distant stare of her deep blue eyes, her delicate hands wrapped around her knees.  
  
His eyes stopped at her hip where a red stain had pressed itself through her light blue jeans.  
  
"What's that?" pointing at the blemish.  
  
Jack tried to sound offhand but it came out very worried.  
  
Caught off guard, she looked at the spot Jack indicated.  
  
A sudden feeling of fright came upon her.  
  
Jack took another look at the blur and saw that it had grown already.  
  
He saw the fear in her eyes and he knew he probably shouldn't have asked that.  
  
"Forget about it." he quickly said, trying to get out of the tense situation they were in.  
  
"No, you have to know." Rose replied in a strong voice, "I did something so very stupid."  
  
She vacillated for a moment, not sure how to break the news to Jack.  
  
"I killed a man who was beating me up. I couldn't do anything else. It was me or him and everything happened so fast. I didn't know who I was or where I was or what I was doing or what was going on. All I knew was that he had to stop or he'd kill me."  
  
Rose threw it all out in one breath.  
  
Her voice was trembling, her body was shaking and Jack could see how scared she was.  
  
Jack's mind spun like crazy and he didn't know what to do.  
  
Rose seemed so desperate and he knew that he'd do anything to help her out.  
  
"Do you know who he was?" Jack asked in a soft voice.  
  
"It was Caledon Hockley, my manager. I'm an actress, you know." she laughed to herself.  
  
"He tried to rape me a few days ago. I lodged a complaint with the police and they arrested him. He was released today. He must have been drinking. I guess he came to settle the score. "She continued in a shaky voice.  
  
Jack didn't know what to say.  
  
"He did that to you?" he asked pointing at her wound.  
  
"Yes, he did. I don't get why I even let him in, after everything he'd put me through. I'm such an utter fool." Rose went on.  
  
In her eyes burning tears pricked and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep them in.  
  
Little wet tears dropped down her cheek and landed on the dark sandy subsoil.  
  
Jack's heart broke at the sight and laid his hand around her shoulder.  
  
Rose tried to stop the tears from falling down but they wouldn't give up.  
  
A few minutes later, Rose stopped sobbing and turned incredibly quiet.  
  
In Jack's eyes there was a fear to detect.  
  
The fright disappeared as soon as he noticed that Rose was peacefully asleep.  
  
He took her off the cold floor and laid her on his blanket, covering her with the other.  
  
For almost an hour he did nothing but stare at Rose who seemed to be at incredible peace.  
  
There was something about this girl that made her different from the rest of the world.  
  
He wished he knew what it was.  
  
She looked so helpless but when you got close enough you could see a fire burning in her eyes.  
  
Jack knew that this girl needed his help and he would do anything to support her.  
  
Giving the stain another glance, he could see that the bleeding didn't stop and he got scared.  
  
He ripped a piece of the blanket and wrapped it around Rose's hip to staunch the bleeding.  
  
All he could do now was wait until Rose would wake up.  
  
He noticed that Rose still shivered and crawled close to her to give her some warmth.  
  
He could smell Rose's scent of wild flowers and vanilla.  
  
Before he knew it lassitude overcame him and he fell asleep.  
  
A little beam of golden sunlight fell on Rose's face and woke her up.  
  
She felt the strong, warm arms of Jack around her and felt safer than she ever had before.  
  
Her side felt numb, her shoulder burned and it was as if someone was hitting her on the back of her head with a heavy hammer.  
  
Jack's hot breath struck her cheek and sent waves of tingle all over her body.  
  
For the first time in her life she knew where she belonged.  
  
She had no idea what had happened after Jack had asked about her sore.  
  
All she knew was that she was on cloud number nine, sleeping so close to Jack.  
  
Sunlight kept dancing into the dark bunker and brought some warmth.  
  
The rays drew funny ghosts on the wall and Rose couldn't believe the beauty of simple sunshine.  
  
Outside she could hear seagulls screaming high above her in the sky.  
  
A warm sea breeze played with her hair and sent the salty odor of the ocean into the room.  
  
She let the perfection of the moment sink into her soul and she would never let go of it... 


	3. Chapter Three

Tom stepped out of his trailer into the wide flower field in front of him.  
  
He could see the forceful waves breaking onto the vicious rocks of Brittany.  
  
The rough wind felt cold but put his mind at ease.  
  
He needed to be alone with his thoughts for a while.  
  
The last couple of months had been very weary for him both physical as mentally.  
  
His heart was confused and hurt.  
  
For a long time now he wanted to tell Rose the true depth of his feelings but he never got up the nerve to do so.  
  
Her trailer stood lonely and abandoned, staring out at the dangerous sea and the orange sunrise in the sky.  
  
He wondered if she would be awake.  
  
The curtains were still closed but then again...  
  
Tom wanted to talk to her so very much and there was no one in sight, maybe this was the moment he had waited for so long.  
  
He braced himself as he silently knocked on her door.  
  
No answer.  
  
He felt that the door was unlocked and stepped in.  
  
A horrible smell descended on him and he nearly fainted as he saw the man lying in a puddle of blood with a potsherd forced between his ribs.  
  
Without even closing the door he ran towards William's trailer.  
  
William Burbank was the director, made sure everything happened according to plan and was the group's shrink.  
  
Tom could see be the quietness of the trailer that Will was still asleep but he didn't care.  
  
A hard knock disturbed the peace of Will's sleep and softly mumbled something under his breath.  
  
"What?" he said in an annoyed tone.  
  
His hair was muddled and his eyes still stood sleepy but as soon as he saw the seriousness in Tom's behavior he knew it was something important.  
  
"Something happened in Rose's trailer." Tom said in shock trying to catch his breath.  
  
"Rose?" Will whispered as he ran out his door, bare footed and in his baby blue pajamas.  
  
Tom stayed close to him and looked tense to the white trailer with dark streaks of the rain.  
  
The grass felt very cold and moist under his feet but Michael didn't care.  
  
What could have happened to Rose? Without her, he could kiss his movie goodbye but that wasn't the thought that ran through his mind.  
  
Over the last couple of weeks he'd grown very close to Rose and she had become very special to him.  
  
A fetid stench reached Will's noise and although he couldn't really place the reek, he knew it divined no good.  
  
From outside he could see a puddle of red and his heart raged.  
  
As he came closer he saw a man lying in the middle of it with a potsherd through his heart.  
  
After a heartbeat he recognized the man: Caledon Hockley, the bastard who had abused Rose in so many ways.  
  
Will didn't even feel sorry.  
  
"Tom, you call the police. I'll try to find Rose." he said in a determined voice.  
  
Tom only nodded and walked towards his trailer.  
  
Without caring about the way he looked, Will jumped in his jeans, grabbed his black t - shirt that said 'To beer or not to beer' and stepped in his shoes.  
  
Fighting against the strong sea wind he followed a path that seemed to be used not too long ago.  
  
Looking from side to side he walked slowly passed high oaks and low bushes that carried beautiful white and yellow flowers.  
  
He stopped in front of a bunker where the nettles were underfoot.  
  
Will had a feeling he was at the right place.  
  
Rose stared at Jack who seemed so peaceful in his dreams.  
  
She wondered what he was dreaming about, who he was dreaming about.  
  
There was something about this man that made him different from all the others.  
  
Something that separated him from all the rest.  
  
Was it his deep blue eyes which seemed to pierce right through your soul or his soft touch on her hand?  
  
She didn't know but she knew she would never ever forget Jack.  
  
Silently Jack opened his eyes while Rose kept taking every detail of him in.  
  
"Hello sleepyhead." she said playfully.  
  
"Look who's talking." he teased back.  
  
For a minute they said nothing and just stared in each other's eyes.  
  
Both of them suddenly heard twigs crack outside and Jack quickly got up his feet, he didn't trust the situation.  
  
He saw man, probably in his late twenties, early thirties who tried not to get burned by the nettles which resulted into some very strange poses.  
  
As soon as he saw Jack, he restored his posture and asked in a threatening voice: "Have you seen a young girl passing here last night? She's around eighteen and has marked red hair."  
  
From inside Rose recognized the voice and stepped out.  
  
"Will, I'm here."  
  
Will's face lit up as he saw Rose, safe.  
  
"Rose, you got to get out of here. The police are already looking for you. Tom found Cal an hour ago."  
  
Rose's face turned pale as she remembered him.  
  
"Just go. You don't have to explain. Make sure you're alright."  
  
He threw Rose a little wallet that contained a healthy sum.  
  
"To get out of here." he explained.  
  
Rose nodded and stepped towards Will.  
  
"Thanks." was all she could say as she gave him a hug.  
  
"Now go!" Will repeated again with tears burning in his eyes.  
  
She nodded again and looked at Jack, this meant their goodbye too.  
  
"I'll come with you." he said firm and convinced.  
  
Rose couldn't hide a little smile.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't change his mind.  
  
"I got nowhere better to go." Jack answered with a smile on his lips too. 


	4. Chapter Four

Jack stepped back into the bunker to get his stuff while Rose stayed out, trying to rank her thoughts.  
  
She was on the verge of running away with a man she knew for a few hours.  
  
What if he was no better than Cal?  
  
There was something in his eyes that proved the opposite but she couldn't be careful enough.  
  
Her leg felt numb and when she looked down to check it, she saw the dark green cloth wrapped around it.  
  
She smiled briefly to herself.  
  
Suddenly a warm hand pressed a soft pressure on her shoulder and Rose felt a tingling wave flow over her body.  
  
"Ready?" his calm voice whispered in her ear.  
  
Rose could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek and her body shivered like the trembling heart of a captive bird.  
  
Jack took her scent in again, it still smelled like wild flowers and vanilla but now the perfume of roses prevailed.  
  
Her balmy hair stroke his face and he could feel her strength in the wind.  
  
She seemed determined to get through this hard time, she seemed so certain of herself.  
  
He felt that his heart was longing for her and he was afraid that it would become too much for him to handle.  
  
"I think so." Rose interrupted his thoughts.  
  
Jack had been thinking about where they should leap to for a little while.  
  
He figured the journey wasn't going to be a bed of roses but they would be okay.  
  
Suddenly he startled at the expression 'a bed of roses' and felt his cheeks turn as red as the fires of hell.  
  
"I got a idea where to go to." she continued "I think we'd better get to a big city like Rennes. It's not too far from here and we'll be safe there for a little while, by train we'll be there in an hour."  
  
Jack just nodded, she was right. In his head the thought of leaving for Paris had crossed his mind but Paris was far away from here and the police might be thinking in the same line. Rennes was the best thing.  
  
The irregular singing of the brown, red and yellow leaves on the ancient trees was the only sound that played in the thin, stale air.  
  
Jack looked around anxious; he wanted to get her away from here.  
  
"Let's go." he said as he took her hand and guided her through the nettles.  
  
Rose didn't feel the burning in her legs as much as she had done yesterday but they still ached as they passed them.  
  
Again she noticed the green cloth wrapped around her leg and stopped abrupt.  
  
"You did that?" she asked while the gratitude overcame in her voice.  
  
"It didn't stop bleeding, I had to do something." Jack made it seem as if it was the most natural thing in the world.  
  
Rose just smiled one of her breathtaking smiles again and Jack's heart skipped a beat.  
  
What was going on with him?  
  
Why was it that Rose just had to look at him to make him feel as if he was on cloud nine?  
  
They walked in a strong and steady pace through orange scenery, formed by the glow of the garish sun in the east.  
  
Trees painted with gold and silver and clouds of white satin were their company.  
  
A tender breeze stroke Rose's cheek with its soft touches and spread the odor of the ocean over the land.  
  
In the grass Jack saw little drops of dew, or the remains of the storm, which multiplied their reflection like a mirror.  
  
High above them sea - gulls sounded like the most beautiful nightingale.  
  
Suddenly Rose saw the gray contours of an apartment building and they left Eden behind.  
  
Fetid fumes hung over the city and dispersed a toxic smelling odor.  
  
The streets were still deserted but Rose could feel the doings in the buildings.  
  
Jack looked around from one corner to the next, making sure they weren't followed.  
  
For some reason he felt watched but had no explanation for it.  
  
He spied on Rose from the corner of his eye, trying to figure out what she felt, if she knew what he was feeling... 


	5. Chapter Five

The deserted streets led to an amazingly beautiful building with 'Gare' painted on the roof.  
  
"This is the place." Jack presumed.  
  
He looked surprised at the way Rose stared at the building, taking every detail of the murals in.  
  
They walked slowly towards a ticket window where a man looked at the two very skeptically.  
  
"Deux pour Rennes s'il vous plait." Rose ignored the looks the man had given the two and just asked for the tickets.  
  
"Quand est-ce que le train arrivera?" She continued.  
  
"A huit heures."  
  
Rose turned to Jack who stood there with his mouth open of astonishment.  
  
"You speak French?"  
  
"Of course, doesn't everybody?" she asked playfully.  
  
She took his hand and dragged him along with her.  
  
"Come on, we only got ten minutes and I'm a bit hungry."  
  
Jack had to admit his stomach started to complain too and they quickly took a sandwich out the machine.  
  
For whatever remained of the time, they sat down at a bench and talked while they enjoyed their breakfast.  
  
"You're sure about this?" Rose asked.  
  
"I wouldn't be sitting here if I wasn't. Besides I've got nothing better to do anyway."  
  
"What are you anyway, Jack Dawson?"  
  
"Nothing special. I'm just looking for adventure, something exiting. I don't wanna sit in front of a TV all day and hoping that one day I might experience the things that happen in those movies. I go out and do them. That's the difference."  
  
"A free spirit." Rose added in a dreamy tone.  
  
She let a simple smile slip pass her lips.  
  
Jack looked in her eyes, they were staring into infinity.  
  
At that moment the train entered the station and their talk got disturbed.  
  
"Come on, you don't wanna miss it, do you?" Rose stood up and pulled Jacks arm.  
  
"Anything you say, boss."  
  
All Rose could do was laugh as she gave him a shove and started running towards the train.  
  
Suddenly she fell down, grabbing her leg.  
  
Jack helped her up and guided her on the train.  
  
He quickly sought after a seat and put her down.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked very concerned since the pain was still very clearly visible on her face.  
  
"Yeah, I just wasn't careful for a minute, that's all."  
  
"Does it still hurt?"  
  
"A little, nothing I can't handle."  
  
Jack sat down in the opposite place, sighing as the train slowly left the station and he felt guilty because he couldn't take her pain away, he would have if he could, he'd suffer just to see her smile.  
  
"We're on our way." was all he said.  
  
"You can still get off alone at Rennes. This isn't gonna easy, I don't wanna get you into any trouble."  
  
"I'm a big boy, Rose. I can make my own decisions."  
  
Rose said nothing and just smiled.  
  
Jack couldn't help but stare at her, looking so beautiful and at peace, as if she wasn't on the run but enjoying a great vacation in an incredible country called France.  
  
Silently his gaze focused on the scenery outside, the green trees standing proudly in the morning air, the white wild flowers in the grass beside the train rails and the sun, halfway up to heaven.  
  
No, he knew now that heaven wasn't somewhere in the sky as he always had imagined before, heaven was sitting right in front of him, and ready to reach out a hand to him if only he had the guts to come clear with her.  
  
There was something in her eyes that revealed that she was feeling something for him too but that he had to make the first step.  
  
How would he tell her how he felt? How would she react?  
  
Maybe his mind was just playing games with him, making him think that she felt something for him.  
  
But this feeling was getting too strong to keep it inside of him without destroying his heart.  
  
Never before had he knew anything about love, except an occasional crush but never this serious, this consuming fire in his body.  
  
Jack imagined how the feeling of her lips on his would be, the way she would touch him, to kiss her lips softly and whisper in her ear how much he loved her.  
  
To hold her and never let go again, never. 


End file.
